Three Times Is Enemy Action
by HuonParticlesAreHarmless
Summary: "Once is an accident. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action."-Ian Fleming. What if someone didn't take Albus' word of "harmless pranks" as Merlin-given gospel, but took a distraught boy's plea with the seriousness it deserves? AU to the Marauder's sixth year "prank," where everything's the mostly same, though Severus Snape's home-life is vastly different from canon.


**A/N: Sorry I haven't been updating. Life has gotten in the way and writer's block is a bitch and half to deal with. This has been circling around my brain a while, and I thought it be better to actually put it down rather than dithering for another millenia.**

 **Currently it's a one-shot, but it's up to you guys if you want more, but don't be surprised if takes me a while to get it on this hell-site.**

 **Without further ado,**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The floo flared to life and an elegant bear of a man walked into the brightly lit office with the casual grace of a predator. He scanned each occupant, before focusing on the one person not looking in his direction, either in fear or self-deprecation. He tread lightly until he was in front of the trembling teen and crouched.

With a flick of his wrist, he warded the area to obscure and silence it. He knew he couldn't leave with his ward yet, but wanted all the privacy magic could afford.

"Sev?" the man asked softly, as he lightly touched the boy's knee. Severus flinched, but relaxed slightly. "Oh, child."

The man's voice broke something in the teen. Before the man knew it, he was on floor lap-full of sobbing teen, trying valiantly to burrow deep into the large man's broad chest. He made rumbling noises in his chest, as it always did soothe the boy in arms when he was stressed, and rubbed a rhythmic up and down motion, until the boy quieted to only hiccups. He positioned them until Severus was straddling hips, cradling him so that Severus' face snuffled into his neck.

"Would you like to go back with me to the castle, cub?" he asked softly into the boy's downy-soft hair.

The boy nodded into his neck, sluggish in his movements, as he finally felt safe enough to let his guard down in front of the one man who would put him above all else.

The man sighed tiredly. "I supposed you don't want to sleep alone either?"

A head shake.

"Right, then," he muttered before standing with Severus in his arms, hanging on like a very lanky koala bear. He canceled the wards.

He turned to the headmaster, dismissing the two other teenage boys in the room. "I want a vow for them to leave my son alone, Albus," he growled. "This has gone far too long and you haven't done a thing to squash this."

"Pietro-"

"No."

"They're just children-"

"SO IS MY SON!" he thundered, and made everyone flinch, while Severus tightened his hold again, making Pietro reign in his rage. He continued softly. "So is my son, Albus. So are the rest of Slytherin that have been tormented by their 'harmless' pranks." He sniffed angrily, an ugly expression marring the handsome face. "Do you know what I've been hearing, from all houses mind you, call them?"

Albus shook his head, dread and bile churning in his gut, unable to speak.

"Boogeymen, monsters, demons, the things that go bump in the night," he spat angrily with a mockery of smile that had too many teeth to be deemed as such. "They're more afraid of them," he waved towards the two boys, "than the actual monsters that should scare them. Hell, they're more likely to run the other way if they were faced with those two than Voldemort himself!"

The two boys flinched at the man's accusations.

Albus sighed in resignation, knowing it was the truth. "For what it's worth, I'm horribly sorry Severus," he said in a sincere tone. Severus just tightened his hold on his guardian, not even acknowledging the old man.

"Too little, too late, Albus," he grunted. He nodded curtly at them all and moved to the fireplace.

He tossed in floo powder and walked in. "Prince Castle!" he shouted, though it wasn't heard as he put a silencing spell around the fireplace, so that no one would hear where they were going.

After the duo vanished, it left a writhing and ugly silence in its wake.


End file.
